U.S. protectionism alarms PM

Source: The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says a protectionist bill that could hurt U.S. imports of Canadian steel goes against the spirit of free trade and the United States shouldn't forget its “international obligations” to liberalize global commerce.

‘I spoke to our ambassador about it yesterday and I know that countries around the world are expressing grave concern about some of these measures that go against not just the obligations of the United States, but frankly the spirit of our G20 discussions,” Mr. Harper said Thursday in the House of Commons on Thursday.

‘We will be having these discussions with our friends in the United States and we expect the United States to respect its international obligations.”
The so-called “Buy America” provision, attached to the massive economic stimulus package working its way through the U.S. Congress, would call on major public works projects to favour U.S. steel over imported metal.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090129.wPOLtrade0129/BNStory/politics/home

I'm not even sure we have any steel plants left.

the scrubbing of the crime scene.

The US economy is in crisis.

Flushing more jobs out the door will make it collapse.

As has been said on the internets; "When the US sneezes the world catches pneumonia". (the one who coined it was implying if we get ill, the world follows suit. And for "we" read "the US economy".)

We've gone down this road far enough. The party's over.

Maybe if they try real hard, the Canadians could find some infrastructure projects to do with their steel in Canada... maybe put some Canadians to work too, as we're doing.

Sure way would be to get rid of NAFTA.

Damn straight it is.

then you in turn will have to agree to buy products from elsewhere.

Canadians buy a lot of American cars. We could buy Japanese, Korean, European or any other kind.

We have global trade for a reason. Variety, price, innovation. Everybody benefits.

If you build walls, you will only harm yourselves.

even import to export ratio. We cannot import everything! Canadians may buy American cars... but a lot of the parts are manufactured and assembled in Canada. We outsourced transmissions there decades ago. We have global trade simply because it is cheaper. This free for all bullshit has got to end.

Build a wall, then install a door... only then, you know what is going through it.

If we didn't have NAFTA then we would have Campbell Soup making soup in Canada. We would have a pasta industry supplying pasta to Canadians. We would have a Celanese supplying chemicals.

Without NAFTA we would have our own value added resources which we could then export. Value added. Not resource BASED.

Make them here, sell them here - we ARE the biggest market in the world, and nearly self-sufficient. Let the world carry on without us, as it used to. Fine by me.

addressing the issue of US "Protectionism".
Seems a lot of countries who have benefited from our job hemorrhaging are now a bit nervous.

Just what are they willing to do to aid the USA after they have taken our jobs, watched our economy tank, and in many ways made their own nations stronger by the disappearance of our middle class labor force.
This balancing act will be interesting to witness. I wish our President success and a safe journey.

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Canada gave up the Avro Arrow to please the USA because it worried the US military that it was BETTER AND FASTER than anything the USA had in the air at the time

Don't piss us Canucks off too much

Our gas, oil and electricity supports much of the USA

Iraq IS a cakewalk compared to what would happen if the USA tried to invade Canada

Russia and China are just over the pole

Us Canuks will be polite and friendly

only to a point . . . .

then

look out!

And nobody wants to invade Canada. Seems to me, this squabble is about other countries not getting to "invade" us. Well we're slow, but we still have a pulse.

This is a stimulus, not another foreign giveaway.

Poor little stevie doesn't have bush's ass to kiss any more. I agree with the "Buy American" provision, I hope it kills NAFTA and then, maybe, just maybe, both countries can negotiate a FAIR trade deal that cuts out the rapacious corporations and addresses the real trade issues and includes environmental and labour protections.